Triumph of the Daleks
Part One
Featuring the Alternate 4th Doctor
Skaro, a very long time ago, in a very different universe...
There was only darkness and fear within the forest. Silence crept through, hushing the trees and preventing any cries of help from reaching any ears that could hear what was being screamed. A harsh breeze suddenly drifted into the forest and a tall blue police box materialised near to where there had once been a bird's nest. Out of this strange hut emerged a short-ish middle aged man, with longish brown hair and who was dressed in a grey jacket, light grey shirt and red bowtie. His companion, space pilot Rena Barrett, stepped out after him and shut the door behind her, before admiring the dull and apocalyptic landscape.
"So this is Skaro," Rena exclaimed, "not the green and pleasant land I've been led to expect."
"Looks very bland, doesn't it?" the Doctor commented, "The landscape doesn't matter though, because we've got a task to be getting on with."
"And what's that then?"
"The Daleks are managing to get hold of more of the universe every second. So if I manage to wipe them from existence, that may save the entire universe from destruction."
"History wasn't like this though, was it?"
"No. I don't know what exactly has gone wrong."
In the prime version of reality...
Inside the Time Vortex, an eternity of blue swirls and purple light, another tall blue police box flew along. As a matter of fact, it was the same blue police box and had a future incarnation of the Doctor inside it, with his friend Lucy. He had many questions after their first meeting that he'd never been able to answer: why was his TARDIS on that bizarre planet? And why was she on that world? Things had moved on so quickly and after that business on Armesh, what he needed was a break.
"So, where today?" Lucy wondered, entering the TARDIS console room with a backpack that she'd packed full of clothes and supplies for a brand new adventure.
"I don't know, Lucy. I fancy a holiday as a matter of fact, but I suppose what you want is an adventure." the Doctor said, setting course for Earth. But, shortly after that, the cloister bell started to toll and red lights began to flash. Lucy held on for her life as the doors flew open and things began to get sucked out of the ship, including various stacks of books and maps as well as a teapot which had been laid out earlier.
"What the hell's going on?!"
"The TARDIS is being wrenched through the Interuniversal Rift."
"And that means?"
"I'm going home."
The TARDIS flew through the Interuniversal Rift at an astonishing pace, crashing into the Doctor's home universe. Inside the ship, everything was now settled and the doors had closed, yet things felt as if they had been scarred. Wounded even.
"Something must have brought me back." the Doctor muttered, "I have unfinished business here."
"What exactly happened?"
"It's complicated."
Skaro, right now.
The other Doctor and Rena had managed to find something utterly remarkable: it was another TARDIS. Well, another version of the Doctor's TARDIS.
"Now that's odd." Rena remarked, before two people came out of the other TARDIS.
"Oh joy." the Doctor said, waving at his younger self, "Hello me, let's get the formalities over and done with. Where are we and what the hell are you doing here?"
"You're on Skaro, about one day before the Daleks are born. You can't be me though, that's impossible." the younger Doctor protested, "This war will be the death of me. I'm sure of it."
"Boys, stop it." Lucy said, "Why don't we head for that city over there? Arguing doesn't help anyone."
She pointed at a metal city in the distance and they began to walk to it, discussing things on the way, unaware that someone was watching them in the distance.
After a long walk, the four travellers found themselves on the outskirts of the city and stopped, just by the entrance.
"Shall we split up, Doctor?" the older Doctor asked, "Me and Lucy go left and you and Rena go right?"
"Sounds like a good plan." the younger Doctor agreed, heading off to the right with Rena, "Good luck."
"You too."
The Doctor and Lucy walked a few metres ahead and then stopped.
"I have questions." Lucy announced, continuing with, "Who is he? Who is she? Is he really you?"
"He's my past. We're in another universe, by the way. My universe. But I'll get you back home, no matter what the cost." the Doctor promised, taking out his sonic screwdriver and unlocking the door ahead of them, "For now however, we need to dive right into the viper's nest."
"What do you mean, 'viper's nest'?"
As if in response to her question, three guards came out with blasters that looked exactly like Dalek guns. Their leader gestured for the two travellers to go inside and they did exactly that.
The Doctor and Rena walked a few metres ahead and then stopped.
"Was that your future?" Rena wondered, "He looked so sad and so tired."
She hugged him, hard.
"I don't want you to live a life like that. You should be out there, exploring the universe and having fun, not being a grumpy old bore." she continued, as the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and unlocked the door ahead of them.
"Rena, thank you." the Doctor mumbled, as they casually walked inside.
The Doctor and Lucy found themselves in a large conference room, where a familiar figure sat in his Dalekanium chair: with his horrifically scarred head, singular eye and helmet of various implants, Davros stared at the Doctor with disgust.
"A Time Lord in my presence?" he spat, "How unusually satisfying."
"Who's he?" Lucy whispered.
"He's what made the Daleks." the Doctor whispered back.
"And the Daleks are?"
"Just imagine evil in a can."
"A 'Dalek'?" Davros said with curiosity, moving over to the travellers, "What exactly is a 'Dalek'? I am fascinated by the concept."
"Forget that I said anything about the word."
"You said that it would be evil in a can. I am developing a similar concept myself at this time. That would be the perfect name for such a concept."
The Doctor and Rena found themselves in another large conference room, but this time there was a tall blue police box parked in the centre of it.
"Now that's impossible. The TARDIS is in the forest." Rena stated, "Please tell me that's true."
"I don't know, Rena. I suspect this is not as simple as I first thought." the Doctor deduced.
"Correct, Doctor. Things have moved on." came a voice that the Doctor realised belonged to a Time Lord, "The Dalek war is no more."
"But that's impossible. How did it end?"
"Because the Daleks and the Time Lords have come to an agreement. Whichever side kills the Doctor first gets to rule the opposing side."
The Time Lord emerged from the shadows: he was an old man with short grey hair. The stranger was dressed in traditional Gallifreyan war robes with one of the
renowned collars Gallifrey was known for.
"Ah." the Doctor said awkwardly, realising that things were more complicated than he first thought.
"What?"
Davros had taken the Doctor and Lucy to the balcony overlooking the wastelands of Skaro. They watched the sand drift as the breeze fwooshed it away.
"You must understand that this is a trap." Davros admitted, before two Daleks emerged through the door and aimed their gunsticks at the Doctor.
"Why is it a trap? What's going on?" Lucy questioned, raising her hands in the air.
"THE DOCTOR IS THE TARGET. HE SHALL BE EXTERMINATED! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
The Time Lord had now learnt of the fact that there were two Doctors on Skaro and had taken the Doctor and Rena to his TARDIS.
"I'm not going anywhere until I know who you are." the Doctor protested, "Time Lords who turn up wanting me dead are very sinister. Time Lords who turn up wanting me dead who don't reveal their name are just enigmatic."
The Time Lord sighed and smiled sadly.
"I tried so hard to keep history on track, but things keep on getting in the way."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm the Doctor and I've come to sort out my future, in the name of Gallifrey."
TO BE CONTINUED...